Automatic passenger airbag switch

ABSTRACT

Techniques described herein include a system and method for switching an airbag on or off based on determining that an object situated in a vehicle seat meets one or more conditions. In some embodiments, the vehicle seat may be fitted with a weight sensor configured to detect an object situated in the vehicle seat. The system may include a camera device configured to capture image information associated with the object situated in the vehicle seat. The image information may be processed to determine if the object is a person meeting one or more threshold conditions for activating the airbag. Upon processing the image information, the airbag may be provided with instructions to either activate or deactivate.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of Non-Provisional U.S.application Ser. No. 14/935,443, filed Nov. 8, 2015, the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND

Although an airbag system can often save an adult's life, it can causeserious damage, or even death, to a small child or infant. Whentraveling with a small child or infant, a driver may wish to turn on oroff a passenger seat airbag. Manual airbag systems are problematic for anumber of reasons. For example, a driver may not know how to turn theairbag system on or off. Additionally, the driver may forget toreactivate the airbag system upon removing the small child, which mightresult in the death of an adult riding in the passenger seat.

Traditional automatic airbag deployment systems have relied heavily uponpressure sensors to determine whether an airbag should be activated fora passenger seat. However, these systems are unreliable, and inherentlyunsafe, because the driver may place additional objects in the passengerseat along with a child. The additional weight may be enough to activatethe passenger seat airbag in these traditional automatic airbag systemsand can cause serious harm, or even death, to the child in the passengerseat in the event of an accident.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure solves these and other problems with the currenttechnology. In particular, the disclosure provides an improved automaticairbag deployment system in which the airbag deployment device isactivated or deactivated upon determining that an object situated in avehicle seat is a person meeting one or more criteria. To do this, theautomatic airbag deployment system described includes a number ofsensors configured to detect various attributes of an object situated inthe vehicle seat. Each of the sensors may be activated sequentially orsimultaneously to gather input related to the object that may beprocessed by a processor device. In some embodiments, the processordevice receives digital image input from a camera sensor device, whichmay be processed, using one or more image processing techniques, todetermine whether the object is a person meeting the one or morecriteria.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will bedescribed with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B depict an illustrative example of an airbag deploymentsystem in accordance with at least some embodiments;

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative example image processing technique inaccordance with at least some embodiments;

FIG. 3 depicts system or architecture in which techniques for processingimage information and activating/deactivating an airbag deploymentdevice may be implemented in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative flow chart demonstrating an exampleautomatic airbag deployment system on/off switch in accordance with atleast some embodiments; and

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative flow chart demonstrating an exampleprocess for providing instructions to an airbag deployment device inaccordance with at least some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, various embodiments will be described. Forpurposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments.However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that theembodiments may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore,well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscurethe embodiment being described.

Techniques described herein include an airbag deployment systemconfigured to automatically activate and deactivate an airbag deploymentdevice based on whether particular conditions are met. In someembodiments, the airbag deployment system may detect that a weightthreshold has been met by an object or person situated in vehicle'spassenger seat. In some embodiments, the airbag deployment system mayinclude a height detection device configured to determine whether theheight of the object or person situated in vehicle's passenger seatmeets a threshold height. In some embodiments, the airbag deploymentsystem may utilize one or more facial recognition techniques todetermine an identity of a person in the passenger seat. The person'sidentity may be used to apply one or more personal configurationsettings to the airbag deployment system.

In accordance with at least some embodiments, an airbag deploymentsystem may be configured to activate a passenger airbag deploymentdevice only when a person seated in the passenger seat meets certaincriteria. The airbag deployment system may include a number of sensorsdesigned to detect whether an object situated in the passenger seat of avehicle is a person. In addition, the airbag deployment system mayinclude a number of sensors configured to detect a weight, height,and/or age of the person seated in the passenger seat. The airbagdeployment system may be configured to make a determination regarding anobject positioned in the vehicle seat upon detecting an initializationevent (e.g., a startup of the car's engine, buckling of a safety belt,closing of a door, etc.). For example, a weight or pressure applied tothe vehicle seat may constitute an initialization event that triggersone or more of the described processes. If the passenger seat is notoccupied by a person, or that person does not meet the weight, height,and/or age requirements, then the airbag deployment device may be shutoff or deactivated.

In some embodiments, the verification process to determine whether aperson meets the criteria for activating the airbag deployment devicemay be initiated by the airbag deployment system upon detecting apressure or weight in the passenger seat. The weight of the passengermay be detected through the use of a weight or pressure sensor.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative example of an airbag deployment system inaccordance with at least some embodiments. In order to better illustrateembodiments of the disclosure, FIG. 1 has been divided into FIG. 1A andFIG. 1B. In FIG. 1, a vehicle seat 102 of an airbag deployment system isdepicted as having a pressure sensor 104. In some embodiments, theairbag deployment system may include a camera device 106 and/or a heightdetection device 108.

The pressure sensor 104 may be any device or sensor configured to detecta total amount of pressure applied to the vehicle seat 102. In someembodiments, the pressure sensor 104 may be a load cell (e.g., ahydraulic load cell, a strain gauge load cell, or a pneumatic loadcell). In some embodiments, the airbag deployment system may include aprocessor device that compares an indication of the pressure detected bythe pressure sensor against a pre-programmed threshold pressure. In someembodiments, the pressure sensor may be hard wired to provide a signalonly if the pressure detected is greater than a predetermined threshold.For example, a load cell may be wired in series with a comparatorcircuit, such that a signal will be generated by the comparator circuitif a signal received from the load cell exceeds a threshold signalprovided to the comparator circuit.

The camera device 106 may be any device configured to capture imageinformation associated with an object in the vehicle seat 102. Forexample, the camera device 106 may be a digital camera. In someembodiments, the camera device 106 may be configured to capture video ora series of images. In some embodiments, the camera device 106 may beconfigured to capture images on a periodic basis. Image informationcaptured by camera device 106 may be processed by a processing device,which will be described in greater detail below. The processing devicemay determine, from the image information captured by the camera 106, alocation of at least one eye structure in the image information.

The height detection device 108 may be any device configured todetermine whether the height of an object or person situated in thevehicle seat 102 is greater than a threshold height. In someembodiments, the height detection device 108 may include one or morepyroelectric sensors capable of detecting infrared rays emitted by thehuman body. For example, the pyroelectric sensors may be installed onthe ceiling of the vehicle to detect the height of the object (andwhether the object is a person) by determining a distance of the objectfrom the ceiling. In some embodiments, the height detection device 108may comprise a light beam emitted across a space occupied by an objectin the vehicle seat 102 at the height threshold. If the light beam isobstructed, then the height sensor 108 may determine that the heightthreshold has been met. In some embodiments, the camera device 106 mayalso be the height detection device 108. For example, one or more imageprocessing techniques may be used to determine a person's height from animage of the person captured by the camera device 108.

In accordance with at least some embodiments, when the pressure sensor104 detects that an object has been situated in vehicle seat 102, thecamera device 106 may be activated. As depicted in FIG. 1A, the cameradevice 106 is able to capture images of a face belonging to a person 110seated in vehicle seat 102. In some embodiments, the image of the faceof person 110 may be processed using one or more facial recognitiontechniques to determine whether the airbag deployment device should beactivated or deactivated. Alternatively, as depicted in FIG. 1B, if acar seat or other object is placed in the vehicle seat 102, the airbagdeployment device may be deactivated.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative example image processing technique inaccordance with at least some embodiments. In FIG. 2, an image 200 ispresented that depicts a person 202 seated in a vehicle seat 204. Image200 may be an image captured by the camera device 108 depicted inFIG. 1. In some embodiments, the image processor may be configured todetermine a location of an eye or eyes 206 associated with a person 202within the image. The location of the eye or eyes 206 may be utilized bya processor device to determine whether the person 202 is of sufficientheight that the airbag deployment device of the airbag system should beactivated. For example, the processor device may be configured todetermine whether the eye location 206 is above a height threshold 208.Upon determining that the eye location 206 is below a threshold height208 in image 200, the airbag deployment device may be deactivated.

In some embodiments, an image processor may be configured to detectfacial data information from the image 200. The facial data informationfrom the image may be used to identify the person 202. For example, thefacial data information may be compared to stored facial datainformation (either locally or at a remote server) in order to determinethe identity of the person 202. In some embodiments, the person 202 maybe associated with an account or configuration settings stored at aremote server. The configuration settings may include an indication ofthe person's age and/or airbag activation settings. For example, animage 200 captured by the airbag system may depict Johnny Child (aperson 202). The image information may be processed, using one or morefacial recognition techniques, to determine that the image is related toJohnny Child. Once Johnny Child has been identified, a profile forJohnny Child may be retrieved from a profile data store to determinethat Johnny Child's age is 8. For example, the processor device maycompare Johnny Child's birthdate (as stored in his profile information)to today's date. The processor device may then determine that the age of8 is below an age threshold for activating the airbag deployment deviceof the airbag system, and may subsequently deactivate the airbagdeployment device. In some embodiments, Johnny Child's profileinformation may include an indication that Johnny Child suffers from amedical condition that makes airbag deployment dangerous. The airbagdeployment device may be deactivated in response to making thatdetermination as well.

FIG. 3 depicts system or architecture in which techniques for processingimage information and activating/deactivating an airbag deploymentdevice may be implemented in accordance with the disclosure. In someexamples, a vehicle 302 may include a processor device 304. In someembodiments, the processor device 304 may be configured to communicatewith a service provider computer 306 via a network 308, or via othernetwork connections. The processor device 304 or the service providercomputer 306 may be configured to process an image received from acamera associated with the airbag deployment system and provideinstructions for turning on or off the airbag deployment device.

The processor device 304 may be any type of computing device capable ofperforming the described functions. The processor device 304 may includeone or more processors 310 capable of processing input from one or moreinput sensors 312. As is known in the art, there are a variety of inputsensors 312 capable of detecting input related to a user or vehicleconditions, such as accelerometers, cameras, microphones, etc. The inputobtained by the input sensors may be from a variety of data input types,including, but not limited to, audio data, visual data, or biometricdata. Programmatic code for an application or module utilized in theimplementation of at least some embodiments may be stored and executedfrom the memory 314 of processor device 304. The processor device 304may include a module for processing image information to determine aviewer position (image processing module 316) and/or a module forimplementing one or more facial recognition techniques (facialrecognition module 318).

In some examples, the network(s) 308 may include any one or acombination of many different types of networks, such as cable networks,the Internet, wireless networks, cellular networks, and other privateand/or public networks. It is also noted that the described techniquesmay apply in other client/server arrangements, as well as innon-client/server arrangements (e.g., locally stored applications, peerto-peer systems, etc.). In an exemplary embodiment, the processor device304 may communicate with a network hub using one or more wirelesscommunication networks (e.g., 3G, 4G, etc.). The network hub may, inturn, utilize a physical connection (e.g., copper cable, T1, Ethernet,etc.) to communicate with the service provider computer at a networkaddress.

The service provider computer 306 may be any type of computing devicesuch as, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a servercomputer, a thin-client device, a tablet PC, etc. Additionally, itshould be noted that, in some embodiments, the service provider computer306 may be executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in ahosted computing environment. The hosted computing environment mayinclude one or more rapidly provisioned and released computingresources, which computing resources may include computing, networking,and/or storage devices. A hosted computing environment may also bereferred to as a cloud-computing environment.

In one illustrative configuration, the service provider computer 306 mayinclude at least one memory 320 and one or more processing units (orprocessor(s)) 322. The processor(s) 322 may be implemented asappropriate in hardware, computer-executable instructions, firmware orcombinations thereof. Computer-executable instruction or firmwareimplementations of the processor(s) 322 may include computer-executableor machine executable instructions written in any suitable programminglanguage to perform the various functions described.

The memory 320 may store program instructions that are loadable andexecutable on the processor(s)310 and/or processor(s) 322, as well asdata generated during the execution of these programs. Depending on theconfiguration and type of service provider computer 306, the memory 320may be volatile (such as random access memory (RAM)) and/or non-volatile(such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, etc.). The serviceprovider computer 306 may also include additional storage 324, such aseither removable storage or non-removable storage including, but notlimited to, magnetic storage, optical disks, and/or tape storage. Thedisk drives and their associated computer-readable media may providenon-volatile storage of computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules, and other data for the computing devices. In someimplementations, the memory 320 may include multiple different types ofmemory, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic randomaccess memory (DRAM) or ROM. Turning to the contents of the memory 320in more detail, the memory 320 may include an operating system 326 andone or more application programs or services for implementing thefeatures disclosed herein including at least a module for processingimage information to determine a viewer position (image processingmodule 316) and/or a module for implementing one or more facialrecognition techniques (facial recognition module 318. The memory 320may also include pattern data 330, which provides data related toidentifying portions of image information. In some embodiments, thepattern data 330 may be stored in a database.

The memory 320 and the additional storage 324, both removable andnon-removable, are examples of computer-readable storage media. Forexample, computer-readable storage media may include volatile ornon-volatile, removable or non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information such as computer-readableinstructions, data structures, program modules or other data. As usedherein, modules may refer to programming modules executed by computingsystems (e.g., processors) that are part of the processor device 304 orthe service provider computer 306. The service provider computer 306 mayalso contain communications connection(s) 330 that allow the serviceprovider computer 306 to communicate with a stored database, anothercomputing device or server, user terminals, and/or other devices on thenetwork(s) 308. The service provider computer 306 may also includeinput/output (I/O) device(s) and/or ports 332, such as for enablingconnection with a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a voice input device, atouch input device, a display, speakers, a printer, etc.

Turning to the contents of the memory 320 in more detail, the memory 320may include an operating system 326, a database containing pattern data330 and the one or more application programs or services forimplementing the features disclosed herein, including an imageprocessing module 316 and/or a facial recognition module 318.

In some embodiments, the image processing module 316 may be configuredto receive image information from one or more input sensors and identifya viewer position from the image information. The image processingmodule 316 may receive, as input, a digital image (or link to a digitalimage) and may provide, as output, a set of coordinates. The imageprocessing module 316 may utilize one or more image processingtechniques in order to identify image patterns within the received imagethat correspond to an eye or eyes. In the case that two eyes areidentified, the image processing module 316 may output coordinateslocated halfway between both eyes. In the case that a single eye isidentified, the image processing module 316 may output the coordinatesof the identified eye. In the case that more than two eyes areidentified, the image processing module 316 may return an error ordetermine the set of eyes that are most likely correct. For example, theimage processing module 316 may determine a particular set of eyes islikely the correct set of eyes based on the position and/or orientationof each eye.

In some embodiments, the facial recognition module 318 may be configuredto receive image information from one or more input sensors and identifya person from the image information. Once the person has beenidentified, a profile for that person may be retrieved from a profiledata store to determine the person's age. The processor device 304 orservice provider computer 306 may then determine whether the person'sage is below an age threshold for activating the airbag deploymentdevice of the airbag system, and may subsequently transmit a signal toactivate or deactivate the airbag deployment device based on thisdetermination. In some embodiments, the person's profile information mayinclude an indication that the person suffers from a medical conditionthat makes airbag deployment dangerous. The processor device 304 orservice provider computer 306 may also transmit a signal to activate ordeactivate the airbag deployment device based on this determination.

Although described as being executed from the memory 320 of the serviceprovider computer 306, the image processing module 316 and/or the facialrecognition module 318 may be located on, and executed from, the memory314 of the processor device 304. In embodiments in which one or more ofthe modules are located on the service provider computer 306, theinstructions for activating or deactivating the airbag deployment devicemay be transmitted to the vehicle and executed by the airbag deploymentsystem.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative flow chart demonstrating an exampleautomatic airbag deployment system on/off switch in accordance with atleast some embodiments. The process 400 is illustrated as a logical flowdiagram, each operation of which represents a sequence of operationsthat can be implemented in hardware, computer instructions, or acombination thereof. In the context of computer instructions, theoperations represent computer-executable instructions stored on one ormore computer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or moreprocessors, perform the recited operations. Generally,computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, and the like that perform particularfunctions or implement particular data types. The order in which theoperations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described operations can be omitted orcombined in any order and/or in parallel to implement this process andany other processes described herein.

Some or all of the process 400 (or any other processes described herein,or variations and/or combinations thereof) may be performed under thecontrol of one or more computer systems configured with executableinstructions and may be implemented as code (e.g., executableinstructions, one or more computer programs or one or moreapplications). In accordance with at least one embodiment, the process400 of FIG. 4 may be performed by at least the one or more serviceprovider computers 306 and/or the processor device 304 shown in FIG. 3.The code may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium, forexample, in the form of a computer program including a plurality ofinstructions executable by one or more processors. The computer-readablestorage medium may be non-transitory.

Process 400 may begin at 402, when an initialization event is detected.For example, the process 400 may detect a startup of the car's engine, abuckling of a safety belt, a closing of a door, or the activation of aweight sensor in a vehicle seat. Upon detecting the initializationevent, the process 400 may determine whether the object situated in thevehicle seat is a person meeting each of the threshold requirements toactivate the airbag deployment device. It should be noted that althoughsome orders for performing the activation threshold comparisonsdescribed will make more logical sense than others, each of thefollowing activation threshold comparisons may be made in any order.Additionally, it should be noted that some embodiments of the disclosurewill not include every activation threshold comparison described withrespect to FIG. 4.

In some embodiments, the process 400 may compare the weight of theobject placed into the vehicle seat against a threshold weight at 404.In some embodiments, activation threshold comparison 404 of the process400 may be performed using a weight sensor, or a pressure sensor. Forexample, one or more load cells located in the vehicle seat may producean electrical signal whose magnitude is directly proportional to thepressure applied to the vehicle seat. In some embodiments, theelectrical signal may be provided to a comparator circuit to determinewhether the electrical signal is greater than a threshold signal. Insome embodiments, the magnitude of the electrical signal may be comparedto a threshold value by the processor device. If the magnitude of theelectrical signal is greater than the threshold value, then the process400 may determine that the weight activation threshold comparison is asuccess.

In some embodiments, the process 400 may compare the height of theobject placed into the vehicle seat against a threshold height at 406.In some embodiments, activation threshold comparison 406 of the process400 may be performed using any device configured to detect a height ofan object. In some embodiments, the process 400 may utilize apyroelectric sensor, or other sensor, capable of detecting infrared raysemitted from a living body. In some cases, the pyroelectric sensors maybe installed on the ceiling of the vehicle to detect the height of theobject by determining a distance of the object from the ceiling. In someembodiments, the process 400 may utilize a light beam emitted across aspace occupied by an object in the vehicle seat at the height threshold.If the light beam is obstructed, then the process 400 may determine thatthe height threshold has been met. In some embodiments, the process 400may utilize a camera device to capture image information related to theobject in the vehicle seat. A processor device may utilize one or moreimage processing techniques to determine the height of the object basedon the image information. If the height of the object is met orexceeded, then the process 400 may determine that the height activationthreshold comparison is a success.

In some embodiments, the process 400 may attempt to detect a face fromimage information captured with respect to the object situated in thevehicle seat at 408. In some embodiments, the process 400 may utilize acamera device to capture image information related to the object in thevehicle seat. A processor device may utilize one or more facialrecognition techniques to identify a facial structure in the capturedimage information. In some embodiments, the process 400 may identify theperson based on data produced using the facial recognition technique. Insome embodiments, the process 400 may only determine if a face ispresent in the captured image, and may not attempt to determine anidentity of the person in the image. If the process 400 detects a face,then the process 400 may determine that the object situated in thevehicle seat is a person and may consider the activation threshold at408 a success.

In some embodiments, the process 400 may compare the age of the personsituated in the vehicle seat against a threshold age at 410. In someembodiments, the processor device may use one or more facial recognitiontechniques to determine an age of a person seated in the vehicle seat.In some embodiments, the process 400 may determine an identity of theperson seated in the vehicle seat and may identify a user profileassociated with that person. The user profile may include one or moredetails related to the person, including an indication of the person'sage or date of birth. The profile data may be used to determine whetherthe person seated in the vehicle seat passes an age activation thresholdcomparison.

In some embodiments, a personal profile may include an indication ofwhether or not to activate an airbag deployment device of the airbagdeployment system. For example, even if a person meets or exceeds eachof the activation threshold comparisons presented in process 400, theairbag deployment device may still be deactivated if the profileinformation includes a configuration setting to deactivate the airbagdeployment device. For example, the person may have a medical conditionthat makes deployment of an airbag dangerous. The person's profile maytherefore indicate that the airbag is to be deactivated. Uponidentifying the person, using facial recognition techniques, the airbagdeployment system may access the person's profile and subsequentlydeactivate the airbag deployment device in response to determining thatthe airbag should not be deployed.

Once each of the activation threshold comparisons has been met, anairbag deployment device may be activated, or turned on, at 412. If oneor more of the activation threshold comparisons have been failed, thenit may be unsafe or unnecessary to activate the airbag deploymentdevice. In that case, the airbag deployment device may be deactivated,or turned off, at 414. It should be noted that the airbag deploymentdevice may be placed in either an activated state or a deactivated stateas a default state. For example, the airbag deployment device may beginin a deactivated state. In this example, the airbag deployment devicemay be activated only upon each of the activation threshold comparisonsof process 400 successfully being made. In another example, the airbagdeployment device may begin in an activated state. As each of theactivation threshold comparisons of process 400 are made, the processmay deactivate the airbag deployment device upon any of the activationthreshold comparisons being unsuccessful.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative flow chart demonstrating an exampleprocess for providing instructions to an airbag deployment device inaccordance with at least some embodiments. The process 500 isillustrated as a logical flow diagram, each operation of whichrepresents a sequence of operations that can be implemented in hardware,computer instructions, or a combination thereof In the context ofcomputer instructions, the operations represent computer-executableinstructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that,when executed by one or more processors, perform the recited operations.Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs,objects, components, data structures, and the like that performparticular functions or implement particular data types. The order inwhich the operations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described operations can be omitted orcombined in any order and/or in parallel to implement this process andany other processes described herein.

Some or all of the process 500 (or any other processes described herein,or variations and/or combinations thereof) may be performed under thecontrol of one or more computer systems configured with executableinstructions and may be implemented as code (e.g., executableinstructions, one or more computer programs or one or moreapplications). In accordance with at least one embodiment, the process500 of FIG. 5 may be performed by at least the one or more serviceprovider computers 306 and/or the processor device 304 shown in FIG. 3.The code may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium, forexample, in the form of a computer program including a plurality ofinstructions executable by one or more processors. The computer-readablestorage medium may be non-transitory.

Process 500 may begin at 502, when an object is detected as beingsituated in a vehicle seat. In some embodiments, the object may bedetecting using one or more weight sensors attached to the vehicle seat.For example, the process may determine that a weight of the object isabove a threshold weight. In some embodiments, the object may bedetected when a seatbelt for the vehicle seat is buckled, or the vehicleseat is adjusted. Upon detecting that an object is in the vehicle seat,one or more camera devices may be activated at 504. The camera device,in response to receiving the signal to become active, may capture imageinformation related to the object in the seat. For example, the cameradevice may take a picture of the object. The image information may thenbe provided to the service provider computer and/or the processordevice.

Once the image information is received from the camera device at 506, itmay be processed using one or more image processing techniques. Forexample, the process 500 may utilize a facial recognition technique toidentify one or more structures in the image information that matches aneye pattern structure in a data store. If the process 500 is unable toidentify at least one facial feature, then the process 500 may determinethat the object situated in the vehicle seat is not a person. Otherwise,the process 500 may identify at least one facial feature of the objectfrom the image information and the location of that facial feature at508. The process 500 may subsequently determine whether the location ofthe facial feature in the image information is above a height thresholdat 510. For example, the camera device may be fixed in a particularlocation, such that an image captured by the camera device may beassociated with a coordinate grid. In this example, the location of theat least one facial feature may be mapped to an x and y coordinatevalue. The process may determine whether they value (a verticalposition) of the mapped coordinates is greater than a value associatedwith the threshold value. By way of illustration, consider a scenario inwhich an eye pattern in an image is detected at location (0, 12) and thethreshold height value is associated with the function y=15 (ahorizontal line located at the vertical position 15). In this scenario,the location of the eye pattern falls below the threshold height because12 is less than 15.

Once the image information has been processed, the process 500 mayprovide instructions to the airbag deployment device at 512. If theprocess has determined that the image information fails to meet at leastone condition (e.g., the weight of the object is below a thresholdweight, no facial feature is detect in the image information, thelocation of a detected facial feature is below a height threshold,etc.), then the airbag deployment device may be provided withinstructions to deactivate, or turn off. Otherwise, the airbagdeployment device may be provided with instructions to activate, or turnon.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure asset forth in the claims.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus,while the disclosed techniques are susceptible to various modificationsand alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereofare shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit thedisclosure to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructionsand equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure,as defined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the disclosed embodiments (especially in thecontext of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both thesingular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearlycontradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,”and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning“including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term“connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within,attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening.

Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as ashorthand method of referring individually to each separate valuefalling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein and eachseparate value is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. All methods described herein can beperformed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein orotherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and allexamples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, isintended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the disclosure anddoes not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unlessotherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construedas indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice ofthe disclosure.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is intended to be understoodwithin the context as used in general to present that an item, term,etc., may be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y,and/or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to,and should not, imply that certain embodiments require at least one ofX, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present.

Preferred embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure.Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Theinventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations asappropriate and the inventors intend for the disclosure to be practicedotherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, thisdisclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subjectmatter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicablelaw. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in allpossible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

All references, including publications, patent applications and patents,cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each reference were individually and specifically indicated to beincorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

1. An airbag deployment apparatus, comprising: an airbag deploymentdevice configured to deploy an airbag in a collision event; a sensordevice configured to detect an object situated in a vehicle seat; anoptical sensor having an emitting portion positioned in front of thevehicle seat at a vertical height less than a maximum vertical height ofthe vehicle seat, the emitting portion of the optical sensor facing thevehicle seat and the optical sensor being configured to detect heightinformation related to the object situated in the vehicle seat, whereinthe emitting portion of the optical sensor emits a light beam over thevehicle seat at a height that corresponds to a height threshold, andwherein the light beam is parallel with a base of the vehicle seat; anda processor device configured to activate the airbag deployment deviceupon determining, from the optical sensor, that the object situated inthe vehicle seat obstructs the light beam emitted over the vehicle seat.2. The airbag deployment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor deviceis a pressure sensor. 3.-7. (canceled)
 8. A method of activating anddeactivating an airbag deployment device, comprising: detecting anobject situated in a vehicle seat; activating an optical sensor havingan emitting portion positioned in front of the vehicle seat at avertical height less than a maximum vertical height of the vehicle seat,the emitting portion of the optical sensor facing the vehicle seat andthe optical sensor being configured to detect height information relatedto the object situated in the vehicle seat, wherein the emitting portionof the optical sensor emits a light beam over the vehicle seat at aheight that corresponds to a height threshold, and wherein the lightbeam is parallel with a base of the vehicle seat; receiving informationfrom the optical sensor related to whether the light beam emitted overthe vehicle seat is obstructed; and providing activation instructions tothe airbag deployment device, based at least in part on whether thelight beam emitted over the vehicle seat is obstructed.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein providing activation instructions to the airbagdeployment device comprises at least one of: upon determining that thelight beam emitted over the vehicle seat is obstructed, activating theairbag deployment device; and upon determining that the light beamemitted over the vehicle seat is not obstructed, deactivating the airbagdeployment device.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the object isdetected as being situated in the vehicle seat using a weight sensor.11.-14. (canceled)
 15. A vehicle airbag system, comprising: a vehicleseat equipped with one or more weight sensors; an airbag deploymentdevice configured to deploy an airbag to the vehicle seat; an opticalsensor having an emitting portion positioned in front of the vehicleseat at a vertical height less than a maximum vertical height of thevehicle seat, the emitting portion of the optical sensor facing thevehicle seat and the optical sensor being configured to detect heightinformation related to an object situated in the vehicle seat, whereinthe emitting portion of the optical sensor emits a light beam over thevehicle seat at a height that corresponds to a height threshold, andwherein the light beam is parallel with a base of the vehicle seat; aprocessor device; and a memory including instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor device, cause the vehicle airbag system to, atleast: receive information from the optical sensor related to whetherthe light beam emitted over the vehicle seat is obstructed; and provideactivation instructions to the airbag deployment device, based at leastin part on whether the light beam emitted over the vehicle seat isobstructed. 16.-17. (canceled)
 18. The vehicle airbag system of claim15, wherein the instructions further cause the vehicle airbag system toaccess a user profile related to the person situated in the vehicleseat, the user profile including data related to the person situated inthe vehicle seat.
 19. The vehicle airbag system of claim 18, wherein theuser profile is associated with one or more configuration settings,wherein the instructions to the airbag deployment device are providedbased at least in part on the one or more configuration settings. 20.The vehicle airbag system of claim 19, wherein the one or moreconfiguration settings includes data related to at least one of an ageor a medical condition.